a little confused on calorie intake!

tjank89
tjank89 Posts: 2
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
on friday i started my diet! my goal is to intake 1200 calories a day. when i work out i do cardio until i burn 600 calories so when i add that to my diary it adds the calories on so technically it is like 1800 calories a day... so what am i supposed to eat 1200 or 1800 on days that i work out and burn those calories?

i worked out today but only took in 1200 calories and i am starving! nothing filled me up! idk what i should do??

Replies

  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    You are suppose to eat your exercise calories. MFP has already factored in a deficit depending on the amount you wanted to lose. So yes eat close to 1800
  • jleshuk
    jleshuk Posts: 2
    Drink as much water as you can. 1200 calories will feel like enough! It may take a couple days to get get use to drinking so much water but its worth, I have been into to it for about a week now and I am perfectly comfy with 1200 calories. And I use to have a tendancy to overeat. The more you drink the more you will lose!
  • sliceofsarah
    sliceofsarah Posts: 141 Member
    You can eat your exercise calories. When you tell MFP what you want to lose for week, it gives you a certain number of NET calories which means if you burn calories by exercising you can eat those calories back without going over your allotted calories. If you aren't using a heart rate monitor, though, and are basing your exercise calories off the exercise machine reading or MFP's estimate, then you may want to consider eating back only 1/2 your exercise calories in case the estimates are off. It is up to you, though! I don't have a heart rate monitor, but I will often eat back close to all of my exercise calories...
  • Mamapengu
    Mamapengu Posts: 250
    I'm trying to do 1200 too. This is rather new. I got advice that seems to be working: eat about 250 calories in a balanced meal 5-6 times a day. About the time I start feeling hungry I get to eat a little more. Really seems to have helped. I've done 1200 before and thought I was going to die of starvation I was so hungry all the time. This time does seem to be different, today I had to force myself to go get another meal when I wasn't hungry. I did eat one meal unbalanced, almost all protein, and I ended up in the cupboard finishing off a bag of chips. But, when I've included carbs and protein in balance I've had very little trouble. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, to see if it stays true! Good luck.
  • monkeygirl6
    monkeygirl6 Posts: 53
    on friday i started my diet! my goal is to intake 1200 calories a day. when i work out i do cardio until i burn 600 calories so when i add that to my diary it adds the calories on so technically it is like 1800 calories a day... so what am i supposed to eat 1200 or 1800 on days that i work out and burn those calories?

    i worked out today but only took in 1200 calories and i am starving! nothing filled me up! idk what i should do??

    I second drinking lots I mean LOTS of water. When I feel like eating I drink around 16 ounces wait & if I stll feel hungry after like five ten minutes I'll eat something. Listen to your body if you feel like you are starving, you just might be. Also FYI I don't eat all my exercise cals back but I do eat a few.
  • mikeles
    mikeles Posts: 4
    It all really depends on how quick you want to lose weight.
    for me the goal that is posted on myfitnesspal.com app isn't quick enough for me so I do not take into account the calories I have burned during my workout.
    I use that to burn more calories, or to "bank" them for a later time that week..
    If you are happy with the weightloss that in your myfitnesspal goal then as the others have stated, you can eat those extra calories.:smile:
  • AshleyNicole8686
    AshleyNicole8686 Posts: 103 Member
    I agree that you will loose faster if you stick to 1200 but it is really hard. I guess it just depends how fast you want to see results, if you want the weight to fall off, stay with the 1200 and drink a ton of water. If you are more of a slow and steady kind of girl then try adding a bit of your excersize calories until you are full. Calories are energy and the most important thing is that you have enough energy to get through your workout and feel like you pushed as hard as you could. Find things that are lower cal. but hight protein to fill you up. Some things I like: egg whites with turkey bacon on two peices of 45 cal toast, scrambled egg whites with salsa and a melted light string cheese, oatmeal or tuna sandwiches on 45 cal toast. Best of luck to you!
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